Three takeaways from Washington's season-opening loss to the Eagles

After just two quarters of football in the 2019 season, Washington Redskins fans were flying high, riding a 20-7 lead into the half after a dominant early performance against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Case Keenum was electric, and he helped build a 17-0 lead before Carson Wentz and the Eagles could figure out what happened. The defense for Washington looked dominant, and all was right in the world.

Then it slowly came crashing down. Wentz got comfortable, Philadelphia started to move the ball, and the Redskins’ lead dwindled away as the Eagles went on a 32-3 scoring run that put balance back into the NFC East. Down the stretch, Washington got tired and it showed. They could no longer hang with the Eagles on defense, and their offense got stagnant. In the end, Philadelphia covered the 10-point spread, and the score-line will look like many expected: Eagles 32, Redskins 27.

But don’t forget about that opening half in which the Redskins looked dominant. We know that this team can reach those heights, they just have to get comfortable playing at such a high level. Here are our three biggest takeaways from the game.

The Redskins entered the 2019 season with a major question at the QB position. Case Keenum had been named the starter, but many thought that he would eventually be pulled in order for rookie QB Dwayne Haskins to take over.

If the first half was any indication of things to come, this could be Keenum’s team for the rest of the season.

The journeyman QB was brilliant early on against the Eagles, completing 10 of his first 12 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, for 48 and 70 yards, respectively.

The second half had a different feel to it, and the chunk plays weren’t there for the Redskins as things fell stagnant and the Eagles retook the lead midway through the third quarter.

Down the stretch, he started to look more like the Keenum of old, but what matters is that first half, where we saw a dynamic and dangerous quarterback. If he can continue to play at that level for the Redskins, they will be able to notch a number of wins this season.

The Redskins have been touting their defensive front all season, and players like Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat were expected to lead the way for Washington and make life tough on opposing offenses.

They were anything but dominant against the Eagles, as they pick up only 3 QB hits on Carson Wentz Sunday, as the early lead slowly slipped away and went out the door.

Early only the defense was solid and did a great job of containing the Eagles offense. However, as time went on and Philadelphia settled in, the balance of power started to resort itself. The Redskins allowed the Eagles to outscore them 32-3 after taking a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

If Washington hopes to win many games this season, it will be the defense that needs to make it happen. They couldn’t get the job done in Week 1, but there’s still a lot of football to be played.

Scary Terry can Fly

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Wide receiver Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Aside from Case Keenum, rookie WR Terry McLaurin was undoubtedly the biggest positive from the game, topping 100 yards receiving with a touchdown in the first half alone. In the third quarter, Keenum had McLaurin open for another bomb downfield, but he overthrew the rookie. McLaurin finished the game with 5 catches for 125 yards and 1 touchdown, and he looked like the best receiver on the field for much of the day.

The rookie was highly touted coming out of Ohio State this year, and Washington kept him in the garage throughout most of the preseason to keep him healthy. On Sunday, they took him out for a spin, and he showed that he can really fly.